Pressure on NRC to endorse charter draft not true: Nimit

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Pressure on NRC to endorse charter draft not true: Nimit
PRAPASRI OSTHANON,
OLAN LERTRATTANADAMRONGKUL
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- NO PROOF exists of a report that some members of the National Reform Council (NRC) had been lobbied by politicians to endorse the charter draft, said NRC member Nimit Sitthitrai.

The claim was made earlier by another NRC member, Wanchai Sornsiri, who said the politicians had demanded a quick election that could only occur if the draft charter was endorsed.

Moreover, he claimed, the group was also starting a campaign for a swift general election.

Nimit insisted the NRC had to scrutinise the draft charter after it was finalised by the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) before they could vote on it. "There's still time, though. We'll have another 15 days after submission to learn about the draft before we vote," he said, insisting that every NRC member was independent in their choice of voting.

What was essential was how |the draft charter would be tweaked |by the CDC, he added, as some points had been adjusted as suggested by the NRC - but some still had not.

Most NRC members were yet to comment on the matter.

There is also not yet a conclusion on whether "reform before election" should be asked in the referendum questionnaire, he added. Nimit expected some talks over its principles during this week.

Meanwhile, former deputy prime minister and foreign minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul has urged the NRC members to stop their charade, finding "excuses" to veto the draft charter in order to prolong the term of the current administration.

Surapong said the reason given by the NRC to vote down the charter was just a lame excuse: the CDC members had refused to amend the charter draft as they wanted.

Some NRC members, Surapong said, were members of the People's Democratic Reform Committee, who have long campaigned for "reform before election."

There was also an instruction from the top to veto the charter, Surapong said. "It is not difficult to "direct" on whether the charter should be voted down or not,'' he said.

"They are acting as if the country belongs to them only and they aren't even aware of how much damage they are going to cause to Thailand," Surapong pointed out.

"The people and the country's economy were being hit because this government is not internationally accepted in terms of management since most of its members are just civil servants,'' he added.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Pressure-on-NRC-to-endorse-charter-draft-not-true--30265856.html


-- The Nation 2015-08-04

[Srikcir]

"They are acting as if the country belongs to them only"

It's not an act but hard REALITY.